The Foundation Jobs
by QuimbyCub
Summary: Sophie said “We’re all addicts. One way or another, we’re all addicted to our past.” So, when did these addictions start? Short stories about our Leveragees pasts. Its a work in progress, people.
1. The Charm Job

_I do not own Leverage, I cannot steal it without getting caught, I tried, I don't profit  
A/N: I hope to add the rest of the crew, but until then I hope you enjoy this story of one of Parker's earliest scams.  
A/N#2: I swear to Dog I'm not usually THIS sloppy. I am very sorry, and EXTREMELY embarrassed._

**The Charm Job  
**  
The slim figure jumped across from fence to fence. Her sneakers barely touching each wooden post as she leaped her way to her destination. The sun had set, the street lights were flickering, this was her last chance. Only two yards left!  
She sped up as the sound of more buzzing lights met her ears, she had to make this drop in time. She shot between a low hanging tree branch and a block wall, loosing a hair ribbon in the process. Her blond hair now flew about behind her as she hit the pavement past the last house. She looked right, left, then right again, before sprinting to the opposite sidewalk.  
The orange glow of the street lamps was menacing, and her bag was libel to break at any moment. "Come on. Come on. Where are you?" She whispered glancing around. Screw it. She stuffed the sack under her sweater and scurried home. This drop could be completed on another day.

"You're late." Parker's daddy-for-the-day informed her, though a mouth of mashed potatoes.  
"'Posed to be home 'fore the street--" her younger foster brother stopped to belch, "--Lights come on."  
"Shut up." Parker snapped, quick and clean.  
"Parker," Her foster mom warned, "You be nice to... To..." She trailed off a bit, thinking(not an easy task), and set down a dish of corn on the cob. Finally she gave up. "Be nice to yer siblin's"  
Parker rolled her eyes and went to take a seat at the table of ten. She was stopped abruptly when Hank, her foster dad, said "Whatcha got un'er that shirt girl?"  
She froze. What to say? What to say? Even at twelve she knew not say: Oh, just some trinkets and gems I stole from an old guy's house 'cross town. The buyer didn't show.  
"Oh, Hank," Mariam, foster mother, sighed, "Little thing's jus' put on some weight."  
Whew, that was close. "In that case, " Hank laughed, "She don't need no more food t'nigh'."  
Parker knew not to protest, there were more important things.

"Mr. Anderson?" Parker asked standing in front of the chem teacher's desk at lunch. "I have it."  
He turned to see her, acting confused. Parker brought out the paper bag I'd carried the stuff in. He watched as she reached in and pulled out a charm bracelet, the main reason for her assignment. The links glinted gold before landing with a clank on top of the other pieces in the bag.  
"I would like to be paid," She told him, still acting nice. "Now." Less nice.  
"Miss, I can assure I have no idea wha--" He was cut off by the girl pulling out a tape recorder and pressing the play key.  
The tape said:  
Anderson: Parker, I hear you have a skill. Theft?  
Parker: Why do you think that?  
Andrsn: Because I need something done. Can you help?  
Prkr: No, I don't help people. I work.  
Andrsn: Then I have a job.  
The tape continued as they negotiated price, date, merchandise. By the end of the two and a half minutes Anderson was pulling out his wallet and paying his amount in full. Parker counted the money with surprising speed, for a kid, and smiled. He looked over the goods.  
She started to leave, then turned around. "Paul, may I call you Paul?" She wasn't really asking. "Wouldn't it be awful for this," she waved the cassette in the air, "Were to fall into the wrong hands? I mean conspiring to commit a crime and bribing a student? Looks pretty bad from where I stand."  
His eyes got big. He looked at the tape, then the girl holding it. "You already got $600 for the jewels, What do you want for the tape?" He looked a tad bit panicked, she loved it.  
"You wanna buy the whole tape?" Her lips curled up into a wicked grin. "Ten...Hundred. You keep your teaching license, your Job... You need more?"  
He pulled out his check book and wrote it out. "This better be the only copy." He challenged  
"This better not bounce." She challenged back. They nodded and she left.  
As she walked out of the room she had to smile to herself: If his check bounced, at least she had the rest of his wallet, too.

So, Whadya think? If you wanna see another, who? I'm leaning to Sophie, and I may throw different ages in(twelve, fifteen, twenty-one, etc). I'm not sure , help me out? M


	2. The Two Retriever Job

Disclaimer: You know.  
I don't think I'm AS happy with this as I could be, sorry. And I'm sure this has crap editing for now, too.

The Two-Retriever Job  
"But Momma," Eliot heard, as he entered his home through the kitchen door. His brother, was whining. "Momma, they STOLED it!"  
Eliot perked up fast, even after a long day of sixth grade long division. He looked at his brother, a short, tubby third grader. The kid was holding an ice pack to his knee, another to his cheek. It looked like he'd been tripped and landed poorly. He'd gotten hurt, but he hadn't really been beat up or anything. But still... "Who took what?" Eliot asked sitting down.  
As the younger boy opened his mouth their mother interrupted; "It's not important, what's important is that no one got hurt."  
Eliot flashed her a look and, before he could think exclaimed, "No one got hurt? He sure as heck looks hurt. I'll tell you if no one was hurt before..."  
"Eliot," His mother warned.  
"Yes, ma'am" he sighed, looking at the wood grain, "I'm sorry."  
"It was these three big boys," Eliot's brother began again. "And they came up to me and they to me to give 'em my dog, but I wasn' gonna let 'em have Spike, an' so I tried to hit 'em like you showed me an' I got one o' 'em in the gut but the oth--"  
"You tried to take all three?" Eliot asked with distain. A nod. "Okay, d'you know any names?"  
His brother smiled and listed them 'big boys' by name: "The Baker Boys; Billy Bob, Brandon, and Louis."  
Eliot nodded, they were in middle school! but they weren't keeping his lil' bro's dog.  
Eliot changed out of his school clothes, put his books away, everything he always did. Then when his mom was starting to cook dinner he slipped out, telling her he was going for a walk. That stupid lab puppy meant the world to his brother and Eliot was not going to let any thing happen to it.

The Bakers were the biggest most bullish kids in town, and Eliot was going to go steal a dog back from them. He was either insane or stupid... Or real, real, brave. He wasn't getting scared as he got closer to the yard where he knew the Bakers went to smoke, where he knew Spike would be. In fact his anger and courage, and pride, were somehow multiplying to alarming quantities. And even when he got the the gate and the hinges swung with a gunfire loud creak. Even when Eliot saw the puppy was right next to the boys and they would see him no matter what. Even when he started to approach the trio. He never felt fear.  
Eliot wasn't even afraid when the youngest brother, still older than him, got up and looked him over menacingly. When the same kid decided Eliot should leave, and he held his ground, Eliot wasn't afraid of the blow he received to the side of the head. He ducked away from the next one, and caught the third in his left palm. He wasn't sure how, or why, but Eliot twisted the older boy's arm and heard a crack. The boy yelped, Eliot took advantage and popped the boy under the chin with his right fist. One down.  
The next boy, the middle one, was standing and ready, he trash talked, but Eliot didn't hear it. The only thing he hear was the snap of a rib when the Baker was rammed in the chest by.. Oh, yeah. When he rammed the Baker in the chest with his knee. The second boy hit the ground hard.  
Last up was Billy Baker, sixteen and still in the ninth grade. And he was ready. Billy landed a blow to Eliot chin, the Eliot got Bill's neck, Bill swung for Eliot and missed, Eliot swung for Bill and hit. Bill's nose was gushing blood. He would soon have a black eye and he wasn't going to look good in the morning (of course if you start at the ground floor...). They backed away from each other. Eliot still looked good.  
Eliot looked at the oldest Baker son, smiled a charming, dangerous smile and said, "I came for the Lab."  
The Baker held his hands back and moved away, making room for Eliot to retrieve the yellow canine. Eliot was only inches from grabbing Spike when he realised something. This was too darn easy. And at that the young fighter turned in place, fast, to meet an almost assailant in the ear. Billy Baker, in his ninth grade stupidity, thought he could sneak up on Eliot Spencer. This took more work, this time he put more force, more speed, and more precision into every hit, kick, punch, or blow. When the last boy hit the ground Eliot grabbed the pup, untied it from the rope and tree it had been tethered to and turned back to the idiot muggers.  
"You ain't gonna be messin' with my brother no more, right?" He asked. When the answer didn't come he tried again. "I said," He growled, digging his heel into the nearest hand, Bill's. "You ain't messin' with my brother no more. Ya got it?"  
The boys whimpered that they'd be good, not be bullies. And then were left in pain and tears as Eliot walked home, back to be his baby brother's hero, because he got the little yellow lab back. No one had taught him to fight, he never had fought before, but he liked it, especially since he was doing it to help someone. He could get used to that, get stuff back, maybe for glory, maybe money, maybe just help people by doing what he was obviously good at.

A/N Read the same ending not as the last chappie, please. Only now I would like to plead would more for reviews.


End file.
